Travels with Plink and Cthulhu

[mdlbear]

(written Thursday afternoon; posted via web because I can't ping my home network. Grump.

On the whole, I think the backpack is a win: I haven't had any trouble squeezing it under the seat in front of me, and it's at least manageable most of the time. Not very convenient in lines; it would be better to have a rolly I can kick ahead of me, and sometimes juggling Plink is a bit of a pain. It's tempting to get a small folding luggage cart that I could lash Plink onto.

Snapped off a fingernail juggling bags and bins in the security line. Grump. Fortunately it the second finger, which I don't use nearly as much. My few guitar lessons, way back when, were in two-finger Travis picking. Still comes in handy.

Struck up a conversation in the airport with a cute girl - just out of High School and on her way to Guatamala for a Spanish immersion program. Turns out folk music and science fiction are major interests of hers, but she hadn't heard of filk. Handed her a flier for CC&S; offered to give her a listen in Dallas but she'd vanished by the time I got off the plane.

A couple more conversations on the plane. The woman in the seat in front of me had even heard of filk! Amazing. I think being a musician is probably better for conversation than being a software researcher, though the guy next to me on the flight to DFW was a marketer at Sun. We both spent most of the flight reading, though.

I overestimated the amount of time I'd have for a layover in Dallas, spent much of the time walking, and ended up eating a hot dog as a fast-food lunch. The flight was about half an hour late leaving: they were replacing a light. Better safe, and all that... Not clear how much dinner I'm going to get, but there's a good supply of Odwalla bars in my luggage; I'll do OK.

The Dallas-to-Columbus leg of the flight is a puddle-jumper; my seat is both an aisle and a window. So no conversations. No legroom, either. I'm going to hurt tomorrow.

Comments

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

I always cut my fingernails just before a trip, or inevitably I'll break one wrestling luggage.

Dallas to Columbus on a commuter bird? eep, that's a bit of a haul. Nevermind that Dallas is the suckiest airport in the lower 48 for changing planes... but yay for random folks knowing about filk!

[roaringmouse.livejournal.com]

But it is better than St. Louis at 2am and Chicago at anytime.

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

2am plane changes suck, true... I never found O'Scare to be that big of a deal, but by then I was such a road warrior that *only* Dallas continued to manifest suckitude unknown to mankind... (I'll admit, though, to never having changed in Detroit or MSP; I don't know if they suck or not.)

(The suckitude in Dallas was, I came in on one of the low-numbered gates at the west end of the horseshoe, and was changing to something like Gate 73 way the other end. Had to hoof it the whole way as we were warned against the peoplemover..... argh. Never Again.)

[mdlbear]

Problem with cutting my nails is that I'm a finger-picker. I usually manage ok.